We honour the memory of the late, great, "Punk Rock Warlord," Joe Strummer (1952-2002), of The Clash and Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, among others. But don’t expect just covers or a tribute show; that's not what we're about. Although a lot of our performers love to share a Joe Strummer tune or two, to honour him we just ask our performers to be as authentic as he was.
The degree to which a community supports and celebrates its arts and culture is a sign of its vibrancy. Strummerfest supports the vitality of the Waterloo Region by promoting its indie music scene, including many new and younger bands and performers, as well as other indie artists who love to perform in this area.
We support Your Life Counts (AKA Humanity Unlimited Global), the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council and House of Friendship who provide direct support to vulnerable people in our communities.
Suicide is one of Canada’s leading killers, taking on average 12 lives per day (4500 per year). It is one of the top 10 most common causes of death among men, significant among women, and the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults.
Suicide is preventable. Often, it takes just an infusion of hope. The value of the work performed by the organizations we support in this regard cannot be overstated. We are very pleased to be able to contribute all net proceeds each year to these organizations. Your support (buying merch and making donations) goes right there. Strummerfest is entirely non-profit and is run by volunteers.
Visit the Strummerfest archival website to learn about past events and more!